Various Now That's What I Call An Era Feels Like Heaven: 1978-1985 (Red, Blue & Pink)
Now Music proudly presents the continuation of the Era series with Now That’s What I Call An Era: (Feels Like) Heaven 1978-1985, a celebration of essential synth-pop. This collection brings together 80 tracks across 4CDs or 43 on vinyl highlighting some of the best from a transformative era in music.
CD1 opens with Queen’s epic 1984 anthem ‘Radio Ga Ga’, followed by a run of key iconic tracks including Eurythmics with ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’, ‘Vienna’ from Ultravox, the New Romantic signature ‘Fade To Grey’ from Visage, and the 1979 #1 ‘Are Friends Electric?’ from Gary Numan and Tubeway Army. Next up, chart debuts from Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet along with era-defining hits from Japan, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and the massive #1 ‘Tainted Love’ from Soft Cell. Pop smashes from Heaven 17, Howard Jones and Nik Kershaw lead to sophisticated synth-pop from Scritti Politti and Tears For Fears with ‘Mad World’ ahead of Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder’s timeless collaboration ‘Together In Electric Dreams’. This first CD closes with Fiction Factory’s No.6 UK hit ‘(Feels Like) Heaven’.
CD2 opens with Laurie Anderson’s still breathtaking UK No.2 ‘O Superman’, before The Human League’s debut single ‘Being Boiled’ from 1978 – and the hugely influential ‘Back To Nature’ from Fad Gadget. The Cure’s ‘Let’s Go To Bed’ and The Associates ‘Party Fears Two’ lead into a trio of German synth-pop gems from Propaganda, Peter Schilling and Alphaville. Early chart successes for Simple Minds and Talk Talk follow alongside New Wave crossovers from Devo and Our Daughter’s Wedding. More international classics follow from Men Without Hats with ‘The Safety Dance’, Yello with ‘Bostich’ and Telex with ‘Moskow Diskow’ – the opener from their 1979 album ‘Looking For St Tropez’. Disc Two closes with Phil Lynott’s instantly recognisable ‘Yellow Pearl’ which served as the theme tune to “Top of the Pops” in the early 80s.
CD3 explodes into life with New Order’s classic ‘Blue Monday’, before making way for Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s #1 smash ‘Relax’. More hi-energy synth-pop follows with Dead Or Alive’s ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’ and Bronski Beat’s anthemic ‘Smalltown Boy’. #1s from Nena and Paul Hardcastle come ahead of the massive electro-dance hit ‘IOU’ from Freeez, and Donna Summer with ‘Our Love’, an influential cut from her 1979 ‘Bad Girls’ album. More hits follow with Imagination’s ‘Body Talk’, M & Robin Scott with ‘Pop Muzik’ and Joe Jackson’s sublime ‘Steppin’ Out’. Early-80s electro-dance fusions from Tom Tom Club and Malcolm McLaren & The World’s Famous Supreme Team are next, whilst signing off this disc are two classic 80s theme tunes: Harold Faltermeyer’s ‘Axel F’ (from the ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ soundtrack), and Jan Hammer’s ‘Miami Vice Theme’
The Final Disc starts with one of the biggest hits of the era from The Human League with 1981 chart-topper ‘Don’t You Want Me’. Norwegian trio a-ha saw ‘Take On Me’ become one of the decades’ signature songs, whilst the 1979 #1 ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ from The Buggles became the first video shown on MTV in the US (and the final video shown on MTV in the UK)…staying in 1979, Gary Numan hit #1 with the iconic ‘Cars’ and Sparks released their collaboration with producer Giorgio Moroder that included the Top 10 ‘Beat The Clock’. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s debut single ‘Electricity’ is up next along with second appearances from Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Tears For Fears. Kim Wilde debuted with the pure-pop gold of ‘Kids In America’, and leads to a stellar run of synth-pop to close the collection – from Altered Images, Visage, Soft Cell with ‘Torch’, The Cure with ‘The Walk’ – and finishing with the elegant and haunting ‘Ghosts’ from Japan.
Now That’s What I Call An Era: (Feels Like) Heaven 1978-1985 – an unforgettable journey through some of the greatest tracks from the most influential artists - Celebrating one of the most groundbreaking and innovative era’s in pop music.
CD1:
1. Queen - Radio Ga Ga
2. Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
3. Ultravox – Vienna
4. Visage - Fade To Grey
5. Gary Numan, Tubeway Army - Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
6. Japan - Quiet Life
7. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Enola Gay
8. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
9. Duran Duran - Planet Earth
10. Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short
11. Heaven 17 - Temptation
12. China Crisis - Christian
13. Howard Jones – New Song
14. Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling
15. Nik Kershaw - I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
16. Thompson Twins - Love On Your Side
17. Scritti Politti - Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)
18. Tears For Fears - Mad World
19. Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder - Together In Electric Dreams
20. Fiction Factory - (Feels Like) Heaven
CD2:
1. Laurie Anderson - O Superman
2. The Human League - Being Boiled
3. Fad Gadget - Back To Nature
4. The Cure - Let's Go To Bed
5. The Associates - Party Fears Two
6. New Order - Thieves Like Us
7. Propaganda - Duel
8. Peter Schilling - Major Tom (Coming Home)
9. Alphaville - Big In Japan
10. Talk Talk - Today
11. Simple Minds - Promised You A Miracle
12. Our Daughter's Wedding - Lawnchairs
13. Devo - Whip It
14. Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance
15. The Flying Lizards - Money
16. Trio - Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha
17. Yello - Bostich
18. Telex - Moskow Diskow
19. Thomas Dolby - Hyperactive!
20. Phil Lynott - Yellow Pearl
CD3:
1. New Order - Blue Monday
2. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax
3. Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
4. Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
5. Nena - 99 Red Balloons
6. Paul Hardcastle - 19
7. Freeez - I.O.U.
8. Donna Summer - Our Love
9. Lipps Inc. - Funkytown
10. Animotion - Obsession
11. The Pointer Sisters - Automatic
12. Imagination - Body Talk
13. M / Robin Scott - Pop Muzik
14. Flash And The Pan - Waiting For A Train
15. Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out
16. Tom Tom Club - Genius Of Love
17. Malcolm McLaren & The World's Famous Supreme Team - Buffalo Gals
18. The Art Of Noise - Close (To The Edit)
19. Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F (From "Beverly Hills Cop" Soundtrack)
20. Jan Hammer - Miami Vice Theme (From "Miami Vice" Soundtrack)
CD4:
1. The Human League - Don't You Want Me
2. a-ha - Take On Me
3. Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin - It's My Party
4. The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star
5. Gary Numan - Cars
6. Sparks – Beat The Clock
7. John Foxx - Burning Car
8. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Electricity
9. Spandau Ballet - The Freeze
10. Duran Duran - Careless Memories
11. Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
12. Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
13. Howard Jones – What Is Love?
14. Thompson Twins - Doctor! Doctor!
15. Kim Wilde – Kids In America
16. Altered Images - Don't Talk To Me About Love
17. Visage - The Damned Don't Cry
18. Soft Cell - Torch
19. The Cure - The Walk
20. Japan - Ghosts
